1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to chess. More particularly, this invention relates to chess games for two to six players and played on a playing surface with equilateral triangles in patterns arranged to allow practical and consistent use of the standard compliment of chess pieces, optionally with the addition of new pieces, with emphasis on the formation of a multiformal system that will allow as many people as possible to enjoy playing the game of chess for fun.
2. Description of the Prior Art
If the object for a chessboard is multiformal play, board space is a major concern. By the rules of geometry it can be shown that a playing surface made up of equilateral triangles allows more than twice the number of spaces as a board made up of squares having the same side length as the triangle. The end result is the area of the square is more than two times the area of the triangle. Applied to a game board surface, this fact means that a lot more can happen in less space. If the object is to teach chess for fun, a multiformal system is essential as the diversity of interest and expectation is limitless.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,963,242 to Treugut et al. discloses a chess game for more than two people that uses a game board with triangular spaces. Treugut et al. teach that the chess pieces are set up on extensions off of the edges of the playing area, such that the starting positions (bases) for the chess pieces for different players are separated by a nonplayable area. There is no provision for the play of two persons positioned at opposite sides of the board. While two players could play at two sides with one side vacant, the result would be completely unlike conventional square board chess. The size of the actual playing surface of Treugut et al. between the piece bases is a grid of 6 by 6 by 6, which provides 52 available spaces for play.
The present invention provides a chess board and game that use the standard pieces of king, queen, bishop, knight, rook and pawn as the first formation played on a board made up of triangular spaces. Optional added pieces and formations are offered with the emphasis on multiformal flexibility to increase the probability that players will learn to play chess for fun, including all other forms of chess such as Chinese chess and variations of International 8xc3x978 square board chess.
Three board variations are disclosed, each having a six-sided playing field divided to define a pattern of contiguous triangular spaces, such that each space is defined by three flats interconnected at three points. Each side of the playing field is defined entirely by one or more of the flats, and the entire playing field within the six sides is occupied by the spaces. In other words, the spaces fill the entire playing field, which includes regions between those spaces used for piece set up. A first of the board variations is preferably made up of equilateral triangles of thirteen ranks and twenty-five files, approximating a hexagonal board with edges of 11-13-11-13-11-13 spaces and a total playing area composed of 253 spaces. As used herein, xe2x80x9cranksxe2x80x9d are rows aligned left to right from the position of a player at xe2x80x9crank zero,xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cfilesxe2x80x9d are columns aligned front to back relative to the player at rank zero. With ranks labeled numerically from zero to twelve and files labeled alphabetically from xe2x80x9cAxe2x80x9d to xe2x80x9cY,xe2x80x9d the board is labeled in the same rank and file designation system as used with International square board chess to allow games to be recorded using the same general notation. An important mechanical feature of the present invention is the provision for the play of two persons positioned at opposite sides of the board by covering rank zero with a suitable cover, in addition to the play of three persons at every other edge of the board. Rank zero may be covered or uncovered to provide a board that is effectively two boards in one.
A second board variation is made up of equilateral triangles of eighteen ranks and thirty-five files, and approximates a triangular board with three alternating sides of thirty-five spaces each, three alternating sides of one space each, and a total of 368 spaces. Another board variation employs equilateral triangles of twenty-two ranks and forty-three files, forming a hexagon with six edges of twenty-one spaces each and a total of 746 spaces.
In a mechanical sense, the triangular grid used by the present invention is a direct function of the piece setup. Boards in the first variation are specifically designed around how the initial configuration of standard pieces is set up in square board chess. The second and third board variations are generated from an extension of the basic board, but the general pattern of piece set up remains the same. Setup of the standard compliment of king, queen, bishops, knights, rooks and pawns reside on diamond patterns, each formed by the junction of two triangular spaces at shared flats. This allows hourglass patterns, formed between diamonds by two triangles joined at their points, to be used for optional pieces without altering the mechanical structure of the board.
Movements of the king, queen, bishop, knight, rook and pawn are adapted from square board chess, and are clearly defined on the triangular grid. Added to these standard pieces are optional pieces named the xe2x80x9cexecutioner,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cfalcon,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cjester,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cmaiden,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cdogxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9ccat,xe2x80x9d with their movements clearly defined on the triangular grid. These optional pieces may be added to the standard chess piece formation, or may replace pieces in the standard formation as part of the multiformal system of this invention. Accordingly, with the present invention, players are able to choose what board to play on and what pieces to use. To further enhance the multiformal system, xe2x80x9ccheckmatexe2x80x9d of the standard chess play is defined in several different ways in the present invention. At the start of game play, players may decide what form of checkmate will be used for that game. Players are able to choose the form of checkmate used based on levels of difficulty and interest.
The games made possible by the present invention differ from the prior art both mechanically and philosophically. The games of the present invention are designed to allow serious chess players to enjoy playing on a triangular field, as well as to allow as many people as possible to enjoy the playing of chess as a whole. This means getting people to play and enjoy all forms of chess both existing and yet to come.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will be better appreciated from the following detailed description.